The present invention relates to metal base ball bats and more particularly to an improved metal baseball bat having a tubular outer metal shell portion that tapers from a tubular ball striking end down to a tubular hand gripping end and that includes a vibration damping mechanism coupled to the tubular outer metal shell portion for rapidly damping vibrations caused in the tubular outer metal shell portion by the impact between the ball striking end of the tubular metal shell portion and a baseball; the vibration damping mechanism being mechanically coupled to the tubular hand gripping end of the tubular outer metal shell portion around an entire hand gripping end circumference thereof and including a damping mass supported by a resilient surrounding support structure formed from a number of resilient mass supports extending between a resilient outer attachment ring and an inner damping mass holding ring; the inner damping mass holding ring being within the resilient outer attachment ring; the resilient outer attachment ring having an outer ring attachment circumference mechanically coupled to the entire hand gripping end circumference such that vibrations travel from the entire hand gripping end circumference to the outer ring attachment circumference.
Metal base ball bats have become popular because of the increased durability of the metal bats. These metal base ball bats are constructed from a metal tube that has a large diameter at the ball striking end and tapers down to a narrow diameter at the user hand grip end. The ends of the metal tube are closed by a variety of mechanisms. Although metal base ball bats have increased durability over wooden base ball bats, metal base ball bats can develop severe vibrations after striking a baseball that are so severe that many individuals develop hand and wrist injuries. These injuries are the result of the user""s hands and wrists absorbing the vibrational forces of the metal bat from the vibrating hand grip end of the metal bat as they swing the bat and strike a baseball. Applicant believes the severity of the vibrational forces results from the vibrations being transferred along a tube that decreases in diameter. As the vibrations move down form the larger diameter ball striking end toward the much smaller diameter hand gripping end, the frequency of the vibrations increases. It is these high frequency vibrations which cause the stinging felt by ball players when using these metal bats. Because these severe vibrations are such a problem, many attempts have been made to lessen or remove the vibrations.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,362,046 to Sims shows a vibration damping device for reducing the vibrations of a baseball bat that is formed from resilient material coupled to the inner wall of the hand grip end a tubular metal bat (see FIGS. 3 and 4).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,541 to Buiatti shows a tubular metal bat that has a donut shaped elastomeric member 40 connected to the outer wall of the hand grip end of a tubular metal bat (see FIGS. 1a and 4); a disk shaped elastomeric member connected to the end of the hand grip end of a tubular metal bat (see FIG. 3); and a cylinder-shaped elastomeric member inserted within the tubular cavity at the cap end of the hand grip end of a tubular metal bat (See FIG. 6).
U.S. Pat. No. 6,007,439 to McKay, Jr. discloses a vibration dampener for metal ball bats that discloses a resilient foam-like dampener that has a stem 44 inserted into the open end of the hand grip end of a tubular metal.
Each of the above patents discloses a damping mechanism that is formed substantially entirely from a resilient material and work to one degree or another but have not worked sufficiently well to become accepted by bat manufacturers.
Each of the patents describes a tubular metal bat with a completely resilient dampening mechanism coupled to the hand grip end of the tubular metal bat in one manner or another, however, none of these bats has provided an effective reduction in the severity of the tubular vibrations which make tubular metal bats so dangerous and uncomfortable to use.
Applicant has discovered that the high frequency vibrations generated in the hand grip end of a metal tubular bat require a different type of damping mechanism than the mechanism heretofore employed. The damping mechanism required to drastically minimize or eliminate the severe standing type tubular vibrations that cause pain and injuries to ball players cannot utilize thick sections of resilient material as used in each of the above attempts but requires a damping mechanism which reacts to and rapidly damps high frequency vibrations by the use of a damping mass supported by resilient supports coupled to the tubular hand grip end of a tubular metal base ball bat in the proper manner. Applicant has added such damping mechanisms to tubular metal bats and achieved, in some cases, such drastic reductions in the vibrations heretofore described as to virtually eliminate the vibrations felt by a user. An exemplary damping mechanism, of the type found by Applicant to be effective in reducing and/or eliminating the vibrations under discussion, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,257,220 to McPherson et al. The Bow Handle Damperxe2x80x9d of McPherson discloses an archery bow damping device that is designed to dampen the high frequency reciprocating vibrations that are produced in the solid handle and solid bow limbs of a compound archer bow when the bow string is released and an arrow is rapidly driven away from the bow. The high frequency reciprocating vibrations that are produced in the solid materials of the handle and limbs of the compound bow caused by the release of an arrow are completely mechanically different in vibrational wave characteristics than the tubular vibrations generated in a tubular base ball bat having a larger diameter ball striking end that tapers down in diameter to a smaller tubular hand gripping end caused by a rapidly moving ball striking end of the metal bat tube striking a baseball traveling at a velocity of up to a hundred miles an hour in the opposite direction. Tubular vibrations cause the metal tube of the metal, tubular base ball bat to rapidly contract and expand in diameter during vibrations while reciprocating vibrations in a solid material cause the vibrating solid material to move back and forth like the tine of a tuning fork or a guitar string and would presumable each require damping mechanisms having different characteristics. Applicant has discovered that by properly coupling a damping mechanism such as the one shown for use in the xe2x80x9cBow Handle Damperxe2x80x9d patent of McPherson, that vibrations at the hand gripping end of a tubular base ball bat are eliminated or are so attenuated as to be virtually undetectable by a user of such a bat. This is a surprising result as the damping mechanism of McPherson is designed to dampen vibrations that move in two directions simultaneously with respect to the mass, i.e. one side of the vibrating solid bow part is moving toward the mass while the other side of the bow is moving away from the mass during each half cycle of the vibrational wave. In the tubular wave of the metal, tubular base ball bat, the metal base ball bat tube is pushing in toward the mass from all directions during one half of the wave and away from the mass during the second half of the wave cycle. This is a completely different wave dynamic and unexpectedly provides a remarkable result far in excess of what is achieved by the damping devices of the above discussed patents.
It is thus an object of the inventien to provide an improved metal baseball bat having a tubular outer metal shell portion that tapers from a tubular ball striking end down to a tubular hand gripping end and that includes a vibration damping mechanism coupled to the tubular outer metal shell portion for rapidly damping vibrations caused in the tubular outer metal shell portion by the impact between the ball striking end of the tubular metal shell portion and a baseball; the vibration damping mechanism being mechanically coupled to the tubular hand gripping end of the tubular outer metal shell portion around an entire hand gripping end circumference thereof and including a damping mass supported by a resilient surrounding support structure formed from a number of resilient mass supports extending between a resilient outer attachment ring and an inner damping mass holding ring; the inner damping mass holding ring being within the resilient outer attachment ring; the resilient outer attachment ring having an outer ring attachment circumference mechanically coupled to the entire hand gripping end circumference such that vibrations travel from the entire hand gripping end circumference to the outer ring attachment circumference.
It is a further object to provide an improved metal base ball bat as previously described wherein the outer ring attachment circumference of the resilient outer attachment ring is directly mechanically coupled to the entire hand gripping end circumference by direct connection with an interior circumferential surface of the tubular hand gripping end.
It is a further object to provide an improved metal base ball at as previously described wherein the outer ring attachment circumference of the resilient outer attachment ring is directly mechanically coupled to an attachment fixture having a plug end inserted into and in direct contact with an interior circumferential surface of the tubular hand gripping end and a thin-walled, resonating ring end at least partially forming a vibration damping mechanism receiving cavity within which the vibration damping mechanism is positioned in a manner such that at least a portion of the outer ring attachment circumference of the resilient outer attachment ring is directly mechanically connected to an inner wall surface of the thin-walled, resonating ring; the thin-walled, resonating ring being in direct mechanical connection with the plug end of the attachment fixture in a manner such that vibrational forces generated in the tubular outer metal shell portion of the metal base ball bat are transferred between the tubular hand gripping end and the vibration damping mechanism through the thin-walled, resonating ring of the attachment fixture.
Accordingly, an improved metal baseball bat is provided. The an improved metal baseball bat includes a tubular outer metal shell portion that tapers from a tubular ball striking end down to a tubular hand gripping end and that includes a vibration damping mechanism coupled to the tubular outer metal shell portion for rapidly damping vibrations caused in the tubular outer metal shell portion by the impact between the ball striking end of the tubular metal shell portion and a baseball; the vibration damping mechanism being mechanically coupled to the tubular hand gripping end of the tubular outer metal shell portion around an entire hand gripping end circumference thereof and including a damping mass supported by a resilient surrounding support structure formed from a number of resilient mass supports extending between a resilient outer attachment ring and an inner damping mass holding ring; the inner damping mass holding ring being within the resilient outer attachment ring; the resilient outer attachment ring having an outer ring attachment circumference mechanically coupled to the entire hand gripping end circumference such that vibrations travel from the entire hand gripping end circumference to the outer ring attachment circumference.